Brewers Minor League Link Report (9/10): All Eyes on Pratt's Right Thumb/Wrist after Talented Shortstop Leaves after First Inning HBP

[Joseph Zarr]

Image courtesy of Brewer Fanatic

Transactions:

• LHP Nate Peterson was transferred to the Development List by the Nashville Sounds (the corresponding move to the INF Anthony Seigler official option)

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Final: Gwinnett (Braves) 7, Nashville 4

Via the Sounds website, please be sure to click and read each of the affiliate write-ups as part of your season-long Link Report routine (believe me, it's worth it):

Lockridge's Four-Hit Night Not Enough in Sounds Loss to Stripers - Cornielle Strikes Out Seven in Triple-A Debut

Game Notes

Box Score/Game Log

RHP Alexander Cornielle started out quite well, honestly. He was ahead 0-2 in his inaugural Triple-A count and then 3B Luis Urías (who had an inexplicably poor night throwing to first base) short-armed a very routine ground out opportunity. The runner reached via the throwing error. Cornielle proceeded to walk the next two batters in eight pitches. It's a testament he only allowed the two runs - one earned. From there, he was mostly very good through 4 2/3 IP of 3 H, 4 BB, 7 K, 2 R (1 ER) work. Those random AB's, however, when Cornielle absolutely loses the zone remain a problem. This isn't a new to Triple-A phenomenon. Lastly, I'll just add Cornielle - as a general rule to his approach and execution - wastes too many two strike pitches for my liking. Those high and way away four-seamers? Yeah, it would be nice if he could find or execute a better chase pitch than that. I would opine the slider was his most impactful pitch his entire evening as a whole and the 15 whiffs in 40 total pitches is a very solid first mark. Moving forward, I would imagine the Brewers wil look to develop more of his secondary offerings - in particular, the changeup which was only thrown once his entire evening in 88 total pitches. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) I personally questioned the optioning of RHP Craig Yoho when the Brewers did. He belongs in the Milwaukee bullpen in my humble opinion given the adjusments he made in his prolonged time back with the Sounds. His first 10 pitch, 7 strike, 2 K outing proved it - even though manager Pat Murphy clearly doesn't trust his young high-leverage candidate.  I will also continue to question why LHP Robert Gasser isn't with the Big Club until he is given his rightful opporutnity. I'm not going to gauge anything from the final results of tonight's outing. Gasser did give up a 110 mph hard hit single, yes. The two other pokes were very weakly hit - including another poor throw from 3B Luis Urías that nearly injured 2B Anthony Seigler on a sac bunt up the 3B line. I say this about Gasser based on what I'm seeing - he's regularly hitting 94-95 mph on his heaters. His sweeper and his breaking ball are as good as they've ever been. He ran into some bad luck tonight but he also showed his stuff is MLB caliber today. Right now. We've seen it work at the MLB level previously. He has not fallen off post-TJ. Make the call.

2) SS Ethan Murray continues to look mostly uncomfortable at the Triple-A dish. It hasn't been a smooth adjustment. Am I overly concerned? No. Am I mildly disappointed? Truthfully, yes. But, mostly, these early results are just information for Murray moving forward as he looks to learn from this brief exposure for his upcoming off-season. Tonight's 0-for-4, 4 K night at the dish was not particularly competitive. He was off-balance and out of sorts in nearly every AB. That's now a 28-to-9 K:BB ratio in just 86 Nashville PA's. Much much work to do for Murray to rise to this new challenge.

3) How did 2B Anthony Seigler fare in his first action since being optioned back to Nashville? Quite well. Quite well. Despite what a bevy of Brewers fans opine on social media, Seigler is a heck of a baseball player. His small MLB exposure does not change that fact.

Seigler managed two pokes and he swiped two bags. Special shout-out to RF Brandon Lockridge and his four knock evening - 4-for-5, 1 R, 1 RBI, 1 2B, 1 SB, 1 K. 

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Final: Biloxi 8, Birmingham (White Sox) 7

Four Different Multi-Hit Nights Lead Shuckers to Extra-Innings Win - Lara Reaches Five Times, Letson Strikes Out Six in Double-A Debut

Game Notes

Box Score/Game Log

Our man @Spencer Michaelis had you all covered once again. Here is his full twitter clip package of Letsons strikeouts:

While you're at it, go give Spencer's write-up on the Brewers AFL roster selections a read - HERE. As per usual, his analysis is spot on. Vetted by his eyes and expertise. Double vetted by my eyes telling you: "Yeah, I've watched the games too. What he said." Expert analysis on my end here.

Letson was absolutely cruising until the a third inning two out walk (his second of the frame) led to a bases loaded scenario. He then threw one too many sweepers as the Barons' DJ Gladney absolutely crushed a ball over the left field fence - that's two extremely hard hit balls by Gladney through two contests. Really, this was a case of one too many sweepers tailing directly over the heart of the plate belt high. All in all, however, I consider this a very successful Double-A debut for 20-year-old Letson: 4.0 IP, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 K, 4 ER, 1 HR. Without the grand slam, his bottom line obviously looks quite a bit better. 67 total pitches thrown. 38 landed for strikes. Most importantly, he showed he can hang in Double-A. 

Three Quick Strikes:

1) In a season where we've lost many a talented player to IL stints, tonight was apparently SS Cooper Pratt's turn. In his first AB of the very first inning, Pratt took a heater up and in off his throwing hand - he appeared to be pointing to the inner portion of his right thumb when the trainer and manager Joe Ayrault went to check on him. It certainly didn't look ideal. It was a 99 mph pitch. There's not much we can do but hope (and pray to the baseball gods) he avoids anything major. This is obviously especially unsettling with the post-season match-up with Montgomery beginning next Tuesday. 

2) A night after lauding C Matt Wood for his ongoing improvements throwing runners out on the Double-A base paths, the Barons go ahead and swipe eight bases on Wood and his pitching battery. Several balls were dropped on transfers. No plays at second base were particularly close. This was a flashback to his High-A days. Was he tired? Was it one of those nights? I can't tell you with any amount of certainty. I can tell you, however, if I were a betting man I'd prop bet Wood getting a night off tomorrow. Despite the struggles grappling with runners on the base paths, Wood absolutely kept it going on the dish in a 2-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB night at the dish. 

3) CF Luis Lara continues to do it all for the Shuckers. We've talked about his understated but extremely impressive season on more than one occasion - in my reports in our Minor League forum threads. Tonight, once again in lead off, he got on base five times in a 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 BB, 1 2B, 3 SB (!!) night. That's now 44 stolen bases on his season. He set the tone. He set the table. His impact on this game was felt throughout.

Special Shout-Out: The power stroke certainly hasn't come back all that willingly since his return (hey, we did see a deep fly out just shy of the center field warning track - this is a start), but in his 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 1 BB night 3B Brock Wilken's defense really stood out. He made several solid plays at the hot corner showcasing why I continue to tout him as an underrated defender at the hot corner. No play was more important than the game-ending two-out snare of a liner in the 10th and final inning with a runner at third base. So fast, you can barely see it:

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With the Shuckers out to a 2-0 series lead, RHP Jaron DeBerry will take to the mound. In Nashville, as they look to bounce back from their game two loss, RHP Garrett Stallings will be tasked with setting the table. These will both be evening tilts.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for supporting Brewers Minor League baseball. 

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[jay87shot]

Love the Yoho and Gasser statement, it feels like Fedde and Payamps (maybe Rob Z even) don't have much future with the club and this point of the year would be a perfect time to get a better look at the 2 young arms. Especially since both have some upside to be useful in a playoff series where I can't see Fedde or Payamps being more than soaking up a innings in a blowout. Yesterday would have been a great game to get both guys some meaningful work had they been on the big league club.

[GasserFace]

The Brewers love their depth.  My view is that the front office is stepping in right now to make managerial decisions.  Murph knows one way to manage.  Win tonight!  He has even eluded to the feeling that it is uncomfortable right now. 

My perception is that the FO was concerned about the bullpen arms falling apart in September, so they brought in vets that Murph would actually use, Fedde and Payamps, to soak up inconsequential innings.  Let's be real...these games really don't matter that much.

There is a possibility that they make a decision with the playoff roster to include guys like Yoho and Gasser, with or without Murph's buy in, and the instruction of when to use those guys.  

I agree that it might be valuable to bring them up again DFA Payamps and Fedde, but there are still a lot of inconsequential innings to cover over the remaining regular season and there is risk involved in letting those guys go too soon.

[Jim French Stepstool]

I like Gasser a lot. I'm just not sure how he'd fit onto a post-season roster (remember, you don't really need 13 pitchers for a playoff series). Quintana I assume will make it, & with Ashby and Koenig that puts him in an either/or position with Zastryzny unless you carry five LHP.

Yoho had some opportunities with Megill, Miller, Anderson & Mears down. But there seems to be a trust factor with Fedde that he's going to come in & throw strikes, and in fairness he's mostly been OK. I'd like to have seen Yoho pitch a little more when he was here, but the more regular work he receives in AAA leaves him in better stead in case he's needed down the road. Very impressive inning in Pittsburgh though.